Hosea, a
contemporary of Isaiah, prophesied in the early part of the eighth century BC.
Hosea is one long plea for the people to turn their hearts to God.
Underneath the prophetic pronouncements of judgment is God's fervent plea for
his people to know and love him rather than merely engage in superficial ritual
actions. Hosea portrays God as the lover who has been betrayed by his beloved.
The prophet's painful ordeal with his own wife is a metaphor for God's
relationship with his people. The loyalty and faithfulness of Yahweh (God) and
that of his people are on two entirely different levels; the Lord's community
can always count on divine faithfulness, but can God count on our loyalty to
him?